NORFOLK, Va. — Congress has passed the Social Security Fairness Act, which will repeal two provisions of the law that have led to some government retirees facing cuts to their Social Security benefits.
One is called the Government Pension Offset, and the other is the Windfall Elimination Provision.
"It's a huge win," said Chuck Brewer, a retired Norfolk police officer who has spent years advocating for the repeal of these provisions. "I was ecstatic. It’s a relief."
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Brewer served as a Norfolk police officer for 33 years before retiring in 2005, earning a pension. Following his retirement, he continued to work and contribute to Social Security in his post-law enforcement career.
When he began collecting benefits, he discovered that his Social Security payments were significantly lower than expected.
"Based on my contributions, I’m entitled to about $500 a month, but I only receive less than $200. After Medicare is deducted, I’m left with just $66," Brewer said in July.
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Unlike employees in the private sector, many government workers earn retirement benefits through public pensions rather than Social Security.
Several decades ago, Congress implemented the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision to address concerns that certain retirees were benefiting too much by collecting both pensions and Social Security.
Brewer has long argued that the penalties imposed by these provisions were overly harsh.
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"Had I not been a police officer and instead worked a different job, I would have received my full Social Security benefits that I earned," Brewer noted.
Congress sent the Social Security Fairness Act to President Biden's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law in the coming new year.
"It’s a car payment, it’s two months of gas payments for heating the house, it’s three months of electricity," Brewer said.
With this new law, Brewer's long-standing advocacy efforts will finally come to an end. "I don’t have to do that anymore. I can rest, relax, and enjoy my retirement," he said.
